Chapter 12: The Relative Who Wanted Everything
Marcus didn’t speak for several seconds.
Then he laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because the truth had become too unbelievable.
“My uncle?””
Daniel nodded.
“His name is Richard.””
I remembered him.
Daniel’s younger brother.
The charming one.
The one who always smiled.
The one who made people trust him.
And the one who hated that Daniel was the favorite.
“He’s alive?”” I asked.
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t we know?””
“Because he wanted it that way.””
Marcus looked angry.
“Why would he want me?””
Daniel looked at him.
“Because your grandfather left everything to me.””
The answer made Marcus pause.
“What?””
“He believed I would build a family. Richard thought he deserved more.””
I stared.
“This is about inheritance?””
Daniel shook his head.
“At first.””
“At first?””
“He became obsessed.””
Vanessa looked at the floor.
“He contacted me.””
Everyone looked at her.
“When?””
“Before the wedding.””
Marcus’s face changed.
“You knew him?””
“No.””
“Then how?””
“He found me.””
She hugged herself.
“He told me he knew who I was.””
My voice was quiet.
“What did he want?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“He wanted me to marry you.””
Nobody moved.
Marcus stared.
“Why?””
She looked at him.
“Because he said your family needed to be destroyed from the inside.””
The words hurt more because they were true.
“He wanted me to get close to you,” Vanessa continued.
Marcus’s voice was barely audible.
“And you did.””
“Yes.””
The admission was painful.
“But I fell in love with you.””
Marcus looked away.
“That doesn’t erase it.””
“I know.””
For the first time, Vanessa didn’t defend herself.
She accepted the pain.
I stepped forward.
“Did Richard tell you to shave my head?””
Her face changed.
“No.””
“Did he tell you to steal the money?””
“No.””
“Then what did he ask you to do?””
She hesitated.
“Find the documents.””
Everyone froze.
“What documents?””
Vanessa looked at me.
“The ones proving what happened to me.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Richard believed there was evidence hidden somewhere.
Evidence that could destroy my reputation.
Evidence that could prove I wasn’t the person everyone thought I was.
Daniel suddenly looked toward the safe.
“The envelope.””
Marcus turned.
“What?””
“The wedding envelope.””
Daniel’s face went pale.
“He wasn’t after the money.””
I looked at him.
“Then what was he after?””
Daniel whispered:
“The birth records.””
My heart stopped.
The documents that proved Vanessa was my daughter.
The documents that proved the truth.
Marcus looked at Vanessa.
“Where are they?””
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
Daniel looked toward the ballroom.
“Then Richard probably has them.””
A phone rang.
Everyone froze.
This time, it wasn’t Marcus’s.
It was mine.
The screen showed an unknown number.
I answered.
A man’s voice spoke.
“Gloria.””
My blood turned cold.
Richard.
“You’ve caused enough trouble.””
I gripped the phone.
“Where are you?””
He laughed.
“You still think you’re in control.””
Marcus stepped closer.
He could hear.
“What do you want?””
Richard paused.
Then said:
“I want what should have been mine.””
Daniel grabbed the phone.
“Richard.””
The voice became colder.
“Brother.””
The room froze.
“I spent years watching you get everything.””
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“You destroyed innocent people.””
“No.””
Richard laughed.
“I corrected your mistakes.””
I held my breath.
“What did you do?””
A pause.
Then Richard answered:
“I didn’t steal the wedding fund.””
Everyone listened.
“I moved it so you would look in the wrong place.””
Marcus frowned.
“Then where is it?””
Richard smiled through his voice.
“Where it always belonged.””
The call ended.
Immediately.
Marcus looked at me.
“What does that mean?””
Nobody knew.
Until Vanessa suddenly looked at the pearl necklace around my neck.
Her face changed.
“Gloria…”
I touched the necklace.
“What?””
She whispered:
“That necklace.””
I frowned.
“What about it?””
Her eyes filled with fear.
“Richard wasn’t looking for the birth records.””
May you like
She pointed at the pearls.
“He was looking for what was hidden inside them.””
